Characteristics of Bacterial Pumps in Microfluidic Systems

Abstract:In this paper we show that (i) the flow-deposition of bacteria can successfully create a live bacterial carpet to generate local fluid motion inside a microfabricated system; (ii), that the carpet-activated microfluidic system can be used not only to enhance mixing in the closed system but also to pump fluid autonomously for several hours and (iii), that the pumping performance of the system changes in response to modifications to the chemical and thermal environment of the bacteria. Such bacterial systems are (to our knowledge) the first demonstrations of biological actuation of an engineered microfluidic system. The robustness, ease of “manufacture” and the ability to genetically modify their behavior make such systems highly attractive for powering microfluidic devices.